Wounds
by tic tac toe 03
Summary: His headache has now doubled in intensity and his knees are starting to shake, the twisted ankle he's standing on barely able to support him anymore. Slightly AU, team fic with C/N


**Wounds **

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing (sadly). **

Its ten minutes after the battle, when they've handed Loki over to SHIELD that the pain really sinks in. He's good at what he does, so good that he doesn't let himself feel agonising pain until the job is finished. So he really should have expected what happened when he's standing with the other Avengers in a destroyed street of New York.

Tony says something, but the ringing in his ears prevents him from hearing, but the others laugh and he forces himself to join so as not to draw attention to himself. He finds himself gasping for breath as broken ribs rub together and immediately the pain intensifies as he struggles for air.

The glass shards embedded in his back push down on deep bruises and every time he shifts he's now aware of open wounds rubbing against fabric. "Clint?" He can vaguely hear Natasha's voice biting into his mind the concern barely hidden underneath the sharp tone and tries to nod only to find that his headache has now doubled in intensity and his knees are starting to shake, the twisted ankle he's standing on barely able to support him anymore.

He blinks trying to force the hazy blackness out of his vision and focus on the rest of the team but it's too late as his knees slam into the concrete and he's coughing up blood trying to choke it back down to prevent the movement on his ribs.

"Clint." His partner's voice is loud and panicked enough to pierce through his half unconscious state and he tries to say something only to have blood come spitting out instead. He can vaguely feel two pair of hands ease him into a lying position and finds his head propped up by someone's leg while voices fade into nothing.

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She's tired standing in the middle of a New York she no longer recognises while people better than her discuss what they should do next, whether they should help deal with the distraught and injured people or clear streets when all she really wants to do is sleep but a sharp noise from her right makes her whip her head round.

Clint's gasping for breath and his face is white, going whiter by the second as his body starts to shake. "Clint." The words are out of her mouth before she can stop as she reaches an arm but she's too late to grip his arm and keep him on his feet as his knees drop down to the street and he coughs bringing blood up with the air.

"Clint." She screams now not bothering to hide the panic and bites on her lip hard as he tries to speak but she sees blood instead of hearing words. She drops to her knees beside him only seconds before Steve joins her and they ease him down to lie on the ground with his head propped on her lap.

"Get the medics now." She snaps hastily ignoring the fact that Tony's already talking furiously into a phone with Thor yelling additional comments in the background to mask his fear while Bruce starts his own medical check looking up at the Tony and Thor every so often hoping for backup.

Steve sits next to her and rests a hand on her shoulder; she normally hates physical contract with anyone other than Clint, but she's too scared for it to bother her. Some part of her mind, the tiny part that can stay rational even when it's Clint, tells her she's acting in a completely uncharacteristic way but she doesn't care because she's slightly hurt, completely exhausted and she almost lost the only thing she has left and now she's losing him again and she refuses to let it happen.

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He helps Natasha lower Clint to the ground and then moves to let Bruce through because he's the only one with medical training. A glance to the female of the team lets him know that the man lying in her lap is the only thing in the world that will get her worked up to the point that she lets emotion show and at this point these emotions are sheer panic and fear.

He figures she's never cared about a dying man in her vicinity before and whether she'll admit to her herself of anyone he knows that she cares more about the archer than anything else. He shakes his head as his thoughts catch up with his mind because Clint is not a dying man. He's had limited words exchanged with Hawkeye due to his the circumstances in the run up to the day but he feels something akin to comradeship and the possibility of friendship.

He glances behind him at Thor and Tony who are now giving SHIELD precise details of their whereabouts to get them a medic team and then moves to sit next to Natasha and quite possibly risks his life by laying a hand on her shoulder.

He knows she's scared when she doesn't react at all to it and knows it even more when in what must be an unconscious movement her hand comes up to hold his. "He'll be alright." He whispers as Thor and Tony drop down to sit with them, forming a circle where all eyes are pinned between staring at a still body and scanning the area for the medical teams arrival.

She turns her head to stare at him but before she can say anything Thor leaps to his feet and starts waving enthusiastically at the SHIELD team rounding the corner. They all step back to make room for the medics and they start to move him onto a stretcher once they've performed routine checks.

It's then Natasha starts to lose it refusing to leave his side, screaming at the startled doctors in a mixture of Russian and English. The others glance between each other wondering just how the hell they should handle this until Thor steps forward and quite literally lifts her of the ground and away to the side.

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He's a doctor yes but more of the illness type and so despite his title he doesn't have as much first aid knowledge as thought, especially to the scale that Clint requires. But still he's got the most training out of the team for Steve only has limited knowledge and it's probably out of date, Tony may be a genius but his armour prevents him from really needing the skills and he doesn't think that Gods can be injured to the same extent. Natasha could possibly be of some use but he can see the level of desperation and panic in her eyes and knows that it's not first aid she's recalling.

But the level of injuries Clint has sustained is way out of his league especially as he suspects that the surface wounds are not the only ones. Nonetheless he tries to have something to tell the medical team and so tries to keep focused on coming to some conclusions; he doesn't think any of them will judge him for looking up every so often hoping for back up.

It comes just when he's concluded everything he possibly can on a surface inspection and the sight of the SHIELD uniforms is one of the most relieving moments of his life. He's starting to care for this team even though he's never actually met the archer before.

He stands back to let the medics in and exchanges relieved looks with Steve as they take over. He starts to panic again when Natasha starts to scream and this time the looks he sends Steve, Tony and Thor are not ones of relief but telling them that unless she moves they're stuck.

It's almost predictably Thor who takes the plunge sweeping Natasha into his grip and off to one side allowing Clint to be loaded into the vehicle to take back to the Hellicarrier and medical treatment. He's never been all that good at communicating in looks but he's suddenly become good at silent conversations as he reads Steve and Tony's expressions telling him to go with Clint and that they'll meet them back there.

He nods once clambering in after; no one comments despite the lack of space in the back and he figures that no one wants to risk him getting angry; for the first time in his life he doesn't mind. The ride back is surprisingly quick and he falls into step with Fury as they follow the rush of people down to the hospital wing but says nothing to the other man.

He knows Fury is itching for answers but also knows that he knows most of what happened during the battle through the communications SHIELD has. So instead he stops outside the operation room and lets Fury carry on into another room where he can see Maria Hill waiting; she has the answers he has wants and she can be the one to deal with everything.

For now he waits. He doesn't wait alone as the other four come bursting in at a sprint led by Natasha. The speed of their arrival makes him suspect that Thor and Tony flew them all there but they don't talk.

Natasha asks with a tilt of her head whether Clint's in there and with a raising of her eyebrows whether he knows anything. He nods to the first and shakes his head to the last. She slams her fist into the wall and then slides down it to sit, drawing her knees to her chest and curling her arms around her knees.

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He can't run particularly well in his suit and so he's at the back of the charge down to the medical wing. Still he's runs faster than most people ever could not wanting to be left behind which was a real possibility at the speed Natasha was setting outstripping even Steve in her haste.

Bruce is leaning against the wall of the operation room when they come bursting in and he watches as Natasha silently but scarily ask Bruce where her partner is and whether he knows anything. He's been accused of not caring about many people but he feels the dread settle in his stomach when Bruce shakes his head.

He flinches when Natasha's fist meets the wall and the dread builds as she sinks to the floor curling up and staring at the door. Steve and Thor sit either side of her both facing the door with stony expressions; Bruce drops down to sit opposite them and with nothing going on he takes the opportunity to move through the corridors to take his suit off and find them a first aid kit for the rest of them.

None of them have moved when he returns with the first aid kit and stands in front of Natasha and Steve with a raised eyebrow figuring that neither Thor and Bruce are injured. Neither of them complains so he assumes he's right.

Natasha shakes her head but Thor elbows her in the side and she reluctantly takes it from him covering her surface cuts and setting ice against her knee. His father was obviously right about it taking a lot to injure the Captain and so he throws the first aid kit to one side once Natasha's done and moves to sit next to Bruce.

Hours pass in a companionable silence and he starts to think that maybe working as a team isn't so bad. Both Fury and Hill pass through a couple of times and the latter even whispers something to Natasha earning an almost smile.

He thought he heard Clint's name mentioned and not for the first time wonders just how deep their partnership is. His thoughts then turn to Pepper and fires off a quick text to her letting her know that he's fine and the circumstances he's currently in.

He shouldn't really be surprised when she turns up half an hour later. But he is.

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He hates waiting, always has and always will especially when it's for news of a teammate even if it's one he doesn't really know. And so he watches people, none of them are particularly interesting too caught up in their own thoughts; the same ones he's trying to ignore.

Tony finally provides some interest when he pulls out an object that he thinks Jane told him was a phone. He watches curiously as his fingers move over it and then slow to a stop and Tony slides it back into his pocket. He's caught staring but Tony offers no explanation and so he descends back into his own thoughts.

He hates how there's nothing to distract his from worries over the archer and especially his confusion over his brother. For he still loves Loki despite everything but he knows that the Loki he loves no longer exists and he hates that.

He's never been gladder to see an unfamiliar face than when a woman enters the area her eyes going straight to Tony who stands immediately and wraps her in his arms tightly. He longs for Jane then and wonders whether Natasha longs for the man lying in an unknown condition in the room behind the door.

The woman doesn't break the silence and from how she and Tony are together he guesses that this is Pepper. She tries to smile softly at them all but it comes out as more of a grimace. He nods back though and then as she stands in front of him realises that she wants to get to Natasha; he shifts over to make room for her.

The door opens almost seconds after she sits down between him and Natasha and a doctor appears.

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He's aware of voices sounding faint to his ears and he strains to try and make out words. He can't quite but can match the louder voices to Tony and Thor the quieter two belonging to Steve and Bruce. He strains further to try and hear Natasha but there's no sound of a female voice although the pressure on his hand signifies her presence.

He guesses he must be on strong painkillers because he feels only a slight amount of pain and he knows he's drugged up because of the fuzziness of his mind; he hates feeling like this with no ability to defend himself if an attack was to hit.

He makes a muffled groan and his eyes flicker open to see the white ceiling of the room. "Clint." Natasha's voice speaks of relief and he turns his head slightly to see her. She's staring at him now a small smile spreading across her face and she doesn't release his hand.

"How are you feeling?" Steve's standing to Natasha's left and looks genuinely concerned; he wonders why when he's exchanged very few words with the man and spent most of the time fighting against him.

"Urgh." He can't make his words form and all he really wants to do is go to sleep because the bright light is starting to hurt his eyes and every movement seems to take up all his energy.

"Nice." Stark laughs from where he's leaning against the wall directly opposite the bed; he gets a disapproving look from Steve and a fierce glare from Natasha and another woman who he thinks is Pepper but he doesn't mind and so attempts a smile; it comes out more of a grimace but Tony smiles back and he figures that he knows what he means.

"How are you faring?" Thor's voice booms out and he winces at the noise.

"Been better." Words come this time but it's more a struggle and he doesn't miss the look on his partner's face.

"I'm sure you have, gave us all quite a scare." Bruce's voice is calm and quiet to his right and he appreciates the man's ability to talk at a normal level which is something Gods apparently don't do.

A thud to his shoulder makes him look back at Natasha whose scowling at him as she pulls back her hand from where she's gently punched him. "Don't you ever do that to me again?" She hisses and he knows her well enough to realise that she's deadly serious and although she'd never admit it she was more scared than she had ever been in her life.

"Can't promise that Tasha." He whispers keeping their eyes together and ignoring the others in this somewhat intimate moment. She looks ready to argue, her eyes blazing but then she backs down for she knows what he's saying is true; in their job no promises can be made and kept. She runs her thumb along the back of his hand and drops her gaze.

He looks back at the others and resists rolling his eyes as he notices how they've all been watching them. "We'll leave you to it." Pepper speaks for the first time moving towards the door. "It's good to see you awake Clint."

He smiles back at her and almost laughs as she drags Tony protesting from the room. The other three go more willingly with guarantees to drop back tomorrow. Natasha doesn't move and neither of them speaks for a while.

"I almost lost it over you." She talks first keeping her eyes on their joined hands. He blinks but says nothing letting her talk. "You've made me compromised Clint."

It's all she offers but the few words speak volumes. "You've made me compromised too." He murmurs back; she raises her head and meets his eyes and they both know that the other means. A silence falls between them and he can feel himself falling asleep again.

Using the last of his energy and in the moments before he drops back to sleep he lifts the covers and slowly shifts over in the bed. She watches him confusedly and then doesn't say anything as he tilts his head at her.

But she does slip her shoes off and slip in next to him slinging an arm across his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. He curls his arms around her body and tangles their legs together.

They're asleep in seconds.

**Thank you for reading- please drop me your thoughts! I am aiming to leave this as it is but may return to at another time.  
Tacxxx**


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